Pages

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Blog Tour: Martin Dash by @AndyBailey23 with an #interview

Psychological Romance Thriller

Date Published: 6/20/2015

What would it be like to have no feelings? No desire, no anger, no pleasure? Behold Martin Dash. A man who possesses stunning features that captivate all who encounter him but is also cursed with a medical condition that means he has no emotion to give in return. But one woman is convinced that there is something behind the apparently blank façade and sets out on a dark trail to uncover the haunted past that holds the key to the mystery; a journey that takes in politics, criminal finance, London's neo-burlesque scene and, finally . . . murder. MARTIN DASH is the first book of a trilogy that relates the bizarre experiences of a young man whose life was always destined to be terrifying as well as exceptional.

Throughout the course of the three novels in the Day-To-Knight
Series Martin grapples with a fundamental question: given the trials and
tribulations that he has to endure, is the struggle to live a human life
actually worth it in the end ?

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your
writing?

One thing to highlight in this respect, perhaps, is the
constant challenge to remain true to your own voice – it can be very easy to slip into cliché but it is
important, instead, to concentrate hard and push away the noise of other
people's expressions to find your own way of telling the story.

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

Martin Dash is my first novel that is actually out there,
published, and I am currently writing the second in the trilogy.

If You had the chance to cast your main character fromHollywoodtoday,
who would you pick and why?

Ultimately, I long for the books in the series to be filmed
(I have the whole screenplay and soundtrack for each mapped out in my head . .
. ) and the idea would be to mount a nationwide – no, worldwide – search (with
much fanfare) for the one actor who has the two things that are needed for the
role of Martin: firstly, the drop-dead looks that demand your attention,
regardless of your will, and, secondly, an air of otherworldliness that suggests
a preoccupation with something rather more serious than mere glamour. (This promotional
stunt would follow the template created when the 'Gone With The Wind' producers
launched the hunt for the true Scarlett O'Hara in the 1930s.) Preferably, this process
would unearth an unknown talent but, if I had to pick an established actor now,
I would say that the image of Michael Fassbender as David (an android!) in
'Prometheus' is the ideal. My Martin character was initially inspired by the look
of the actor John Fraser as Bosie in 'The Trials of Oscar Wilde' – have a look on
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88xQHaWNiXQ

When did you begin writing?

I've been scribbling things since I was a boy, really.

How long did it take to complete your first book?

One year (and that was doing it part-time)

Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?

My all-time favorite novels are 'The Castle' by
Franz Kafka, 'Le Grand Meaulnes' by Alain-Fournier, and 'Ulysses' by James
Joyce, all for a similar reason, I think – namely, that they so completely take
you to another place so you feel like you are inhabiting another life that is
rather mysterious, as though you are dreaming. Books like these inspire me to
try to do the same for my readers.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

The bit at the end of a full day's writing when you
have a big, cheesy grin on your face because you know the time has been well
spent in creating a sequence of words that's never been laid out before and
will, with a bit of luck, form a greater whole that puts a big, cheesy grins on
someone else's face.

Describe your latest book in 4 words.

Mischievous. Vivid. Compelling. Bold.

Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is
in the future for your writing?

This is a little difficult as my telling you what the second
book is about – or, even, when
and where it is set – would provide a clue as to the central mystery of
the Martin Dash book and I don't want to spoil that for the readers ! Suffice
to say that it will be as packed with incident, passion and humor as the first
book.

Andy Bailey is a British writer residing in deepest Staffordshire ('the Creative County' . . .) His principal claim to fame as an author (so far) is the creation of 'Martin Dash' and his recurring theme is the absurdity and futility of human endeavour (unless you're on double time) and his writing seeks to explore the strange motivations that drive the endlessly entertaining members of the species, homo sapiens.

3 comments:

I hope that you find something of interest in this interview - please feel free to ask me any other questions you like, either here or on my Facebook or Twitter pages (links above); also, the Martin Dash ebook is currently on a FREE promotion at Amazon until (and including) this Friday the 11th December - cheers, Andy Bailey